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Faith and Superstition Don’t Mix!

MA writes: “I grew up in a Mexican family and when we were growing up, I heard of something called “OJO” – it’s when someone stares are you too much [resulting in a curse put upon the recipient.]

“I had a sister-in-law that would get an egg and she would start praying an Our Father and Hail Mary with the egg as she would pray the prayers and touch a [sick] baby’s head, feet, hands and all over the baby’s body. Then she would crack the egg and put it in water and it would go under the bed that night and if it got all foggy the “evil eye” would be on the egg and [the parents could] flush it in the morning. I know Mexican families who do this a lot and use Catholic prayers. What do you think about this? Is it new age?”

What this reader is describing is the “mal de ojo” – which is another name for the “evil eye.” The evil eye is an occult practice of placing a curse upon someone by staring at them.

The ritual mentioned here, which involves the use of an egg and is used to rid a person of the curse, is based in superstition and should not be used. Curses are serious matters that should be addressed by a priest and should never be addressed with superstitious rituals. God’s power is the only power that can combat a genuine curse; otherwise, the person seeking relief, by resorting to superstitious rituals, is calling upon the same dark powers that caused the curse in the first place!

And it does no good to invoke the names of Jesus and Mary while employing superstitious practices because one action contradicts the other. Either rely on Jesus and Mary to help, or rely on the egg, but you can’t do both. Faith and superstition do not mix!

A few months ago, we reported on the sad story of a five month-old baby who died after suffering severe head trauma believed to have occurred as a result of a similar ritual involving an egg.

The baby’s mother, Yesenia Sasso, 38, reportedly told detectives that the baby’s father was upset with the child because she constantly cried around him, leading him to believe she was rejecting him. Because she was always crying and in distress, they became convinced that she had the “evil eye.”

In the Sassos’ case, they rolled a raw egg – in its shell – on the baby’s skin and when they cracked it open, it was found to be “bad.” This is when they decided the child needed “special help” and took her to a priestess who allegedly swaddled her, and rolled her around on the floor.

Although the cause of the baby’s injuries has not yet been determined, this story is a prime example of why we must never turn to rituals which are sourced in demonic powers when in need of help.